AUSTRALIAN PRAYER NETWORK NEWSLETTER * MORGAN TSVANGIRAI CLEAR VICTOR IN ZIMBABWE * PROFILE OF PROBABLE NEW ZIMBABWE PRESIDENT MORGAN TSVANGIRAI * ISRAEL THREATENED AS IT CELEBRATES 60 YEARS OF STATEHOOD & 3000 YEARS CONTINUOUS HISTORY * MAOISTS' VICTORY SEEN AS POSITIVE FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN NEPAL * GOD RELEASES SNOW & WATER ACROSS WESTERN USA IN RESPONSE TO REPENTANCE & PRAYER * HUGE OIL FINDS IN BRAZIL MAY END RELIANCE ON MIDDLE EAST CRUDE ----------------------------------------------- MORGAN TSVANGIRAI CLEAR VICTOR IN ZIMBABWE Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai was the "clear victor" of last month's poll, a top US envoy says. Jendayi Frazer was speaking in South Africa, at the start of a tour to lobby Zimbabwe's neighbours to put pressure on President Robert Mugabe. Mr Tsvangirai and his supporters claim he won outright gaining 50.3% of the vote but the ruling party has said no candidate gained 50% of the vote. Independent Zimbabwean monitors say Mr Tsvangirai gained 49% of the vote - just short of the threshold for outright victory - but more than President Mugabe who polled 42%. The parliamentary results show that the ruling Zanu-PF party lost its majority for the first time since independence in 1980. So far, two recounts have been finished - both have confirmed the original results. There have been some suggestions that a government of national unity would be the best way of solving the impasse."We think in this situation we have a clear victor," said Ms Frazer, the senior US envoy to Africa. "Morgan Tsvangirai won and perhaps outright, at which point you don't need a government of national unity. You have to accept the result." There may need to be a negotiated political solution. This was a suggestion backed by Jacob Zuma, leader of South Africa's ANC. "The two parties must be made to talk," he said. Mr Tsvangirai has been in Mozambique, on the latest leg of his tour of African countries, trying to increase pressure on Mr Mugabe. He is staying out of Zimbabwe, amid fears for his safety. Meanwhile Zimbabwe is awaiting a change that is likely to bring with it, hope. A spokeswoman for Voice of the Martyrs (VOM) said "A new government would at least provide some opportunities. Of course, we have to remember that 28 years of the same type of rule cannot be overturned overnight. It will be a long process, but it helps ministries like VOM. I think a new government would be willing to accept help from anybody." "The church has been rallying. The church has been praying and standing and believing God for change. I think it's important for the rest of the world to pray along with Zimbabweans. They haven't lost their faith, even though they've had trouble with the economy. They haven't had food to eat or clothes to put on their back. They have believed that through everything, God is going to take them through. I believe this is a beginning." Pray for strength for Zimbabwe's believers as they face the changes coming to the country. Source: Intercessors Network ----------------------------------------------- PROFILE OF PROBABLE NEW ZIMBABWE PRESIDENT MORGAN TSVANGIRAI Morgan Tsvangirai has risen from working in a mine to becoming one of the most important political figures in Zimbabwe - even if his dreams of becoming president remain elusive. A charismatic speaker, he is a brave man - constantly running the risk of arrest or assassination since emerging several years ago as President Robert Mugabe's first credible challenger since the 1980s. As the leader of Zimbabwe's opposition, he has been brutally assaulted, charged with treason and routinely labelled a "traitor". A year ago, the world was shocked to see pictures of his injuries after police beat him after arresting him for taking part in a prayer meeting which they said was illegal. President Mugabe said the veteran trade unionist "deserved" his treatment for disobeying police orders. The eldest of nine children, Mr Tsvangirai left school while a teenager to help support his family. Mr Mugabe snootily calls Mr Tsvangirai an "ignoramus" because of his humble background and lack of education. He once told me that his strategy to unseat the president was to wait while Mr Mugabe mismanaged the economy to such an extent that he was forced out of office. As a former miner and unionist, his heart is social democratic. He used to blame many of Zimbabwe's economic woes on the IMF's structural adjustment programme. Now, he is working closely with industrialists who argue that market forces should be left to solve Zimbabwe's economic problems on their own, without minimal government interference. But Morgan Tsvangirai can at least wait before tackling the ideological contradictions within his party, as that generally only happens in government. Source: Intercessors Network by Joseph Winter ----------------------------------------------- ISRAEL THREATENED AS IT CELEBRATES 60 YEARS OF STATEHOOD & 3000 YEARS CONTINUOUS HISTORY Independence Day on May 8 "The Greeks and Romans . . are gone; other people have sprung up and held their torch high for a time but it burned out . .the Jew saw them all, survived them all . .all other forces pass, but he remains." - Mark Twain, 1898 Israeli intelligence says there is strong evidence that Palestinian terrorist plans to mount a massive terror attack against Israel during the 60th Anniversary of Israel's Independence Day. Christians and world leaders, among them President Bush, will be in the country for celebrations. Please pray the Lord would protect them, their staff, Israeli leaders, intelligence services, police, guards and all participating in public events. General Amos Yadlin warned the government that the Palestinians are determined to carry out an attack unprecedented in size and the number of casualties it causes, and want to make it happen while foreign dignitaries are visiting to help celebrate modern Israel's independence. Yadlin also said that intelligence suggests Hamas may soon attempt to breach the Gaza security fence and send masses of armed and unarmed Palestinians flooding into southern Israel. The general said security forces are particularly concerned over Palestinian efforts to abduct more Israelis. Source: Intercessors for America ----------------------------------------------- MAOISTS' VICTORY SEEN AS POSITIVE FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM IN NEPAL Christians in Nepal have welcomed the victory of the Maoist party in recent elections held for an assembly to rewrite the constitution and make the nation a democratic republic. The Maoists clinched 119 seats of the 224 results announced for the constituent assembly. Believers see the victory as a step forward towards full religious freedom in the country which has been an official Hindu kingdom for more than 200 years. Commenting on the election result, Bernie Daniel, a spokesman for The Voice of Martyrs Canada said: "It is indeed ironic that an electoral victory by a Maoist organization is perceived as conducive to religious freedom. It remains to be seen if this is going to be true, but we certainly hope and pray that the Maoists will keep their promise to be part of a democratic Nepal committed to respect the rights of our Christian brethren to worship God freely in the nation." Pray for Nepalese Christians to continue trusting and serving the Lord as their country faces major change in its governance (1 Cor. 15:58). Ask God to reach the leaders of the Maoist party that won the election, so that they will come to faith in Christ. Source: Voice of the Martyrs ----------------------------------------------- GOD RELEASES SNOW & WATER ACROSS WESTERN USA IN RESPONSE TO REPENTANCE & PRAYER Following extended seasons of repentance filled prayer across a wide spectrum of the Prayer Movement in America, the Colorado mountains have seen substantially increased snow falls this past winter and are poised to unleash more runoff than they have in 11 years. Streams in Washington and Oregon are forecast to carry up to 50 percent more water than usual. Across the West this spring, the picture is similar, with abundant mountain snow in most areas promising runoff that will provide a break from the drought that has sporadically parched the region since late 1999. Lake Powell, stretching more than 100 miles across Utah and Arizona, is expected to rise 50 feet from its current depleted levels. The results are showing up at some 3,000 snow measuring sites in 12 states monitored by the federal Natural Resources Conservation Service. The consequences are far-reaching. More than a half-dozen significant rivers originate in the Colorado mountains and flow through at least 10 other states. Water utilities in cities such as Phoenix and Denver said they expect their long depleted supplies to be in good shape over the coming months. Source: Intercessors for America ----------------------------------------------- HUGE OIL FINDS IN BRAZIL MAY END RELIANCE ON MIDDLE EAST CRUDE The discovery in Brazil of what may be two of the world's three biggest oil finds in the past 30 years could help end the Western Hemisphere's reliance on Middle East crude. Brazil may be pumping "several million" barrels of crude daily by 2020, vaulting the nation into the ranks of the world's seven biggest producers. Peter Zeihan, vice-president of analysis for Strategic Forecasting said the discovery was tempered with caution, in that with a subsequent reducing of the U.S. presence in the Persian Gulf the Middle East could be exposed to more conflict. Brazil's state-controlled Petroleo Brasileiro (Petrobras) said the offshore Tupi field may hold 8 billion barrels of recoverable crude. Another, Carioca, may have 33 billion barrels of oil. It was estimated that the fields together would contain enough oil to supply every refinery on the U.S. Gulf Coast for 15 years. "The finds they've got so far are just the tip of the iceberg," Zeihan said. "Brazil is going to change the balance of the global oil markets, and Petrobras will become a geopolitical supermajor". Source: Bloomberg News
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